Hello readers, this newsletter is intended to give you updates about Agrofloresta: cacao production, special offers, new products or any other fun thing to share.

This time I wanted to bring up a topic that’s its becoming very popular and exalts the cacao beans.

Most people might think of cacao as a candy, but for us, it is a medicine. A medicine made with the upmost reverence to the ancient people who have cultivated it for generations.

A great opportunity for people to connect with each other and even reconnect with ancient parts of themselves has been growing in popularity in the form of cacao ceremonies. There is something powerful on the simplicity of just gathering together in a community. These ceremonies are useful and can help people set intentions and get clarity all while they do inner healing and processing work.

By doing the ceremony, concentrating in a place separate from people’s daily lives, they can get out of their normal frame of mind and allow themselves to experience new insights and perspectives. It can also help to connect with people in a safe and open- hearted environment which helps everyone involved to be into the same energetic frequency and which in turn, results in a deeper and more intimate connection with themselves and one another.

For some people, cacao ceremonies are a way to connect in the world of here and now and reminds us that we are not separate from the natural world.
It is said that, a truly ceremonial cacao is harvested from an agroforestry environment and the beans not only contain the flavors of the terrain but also the energy and vibration of the community and the surroundings. Cacao that is produced through farmer exploitation, single-crop trees that deteriorate the quality of the soil should be avoided.

The Conquista of Mexico destroyed a much of the ancient Olmec, Zapotec, Mayan and Aztec records but we do know that for them, cacao was a plant of great importance. It is mentioned extensively in the Mayan Popol Vuh, also known as “Book of Counsel” in which the history of the K’iche’ (Mayan) people is recounted. Cacao can be found in many engravings which depict ritual offerings. It was a very versatile bean which was used as currency, on religious offerings and consumed as a beverage.

The Aztec culture learned from the Mayans about “Xocolatl”, the cacao crop, and how to prepare it into a bitter drink which was later consumed by the emperor and nobility. It is still a very important part of Maya culture today, consumed on a daily basis and during social gatherings.

It is said that a cacao ceremony dose starts making effect between 30-45 min after being drank. It accelerates the blood flow in the body and therefore, the brain irrigation, bringing clarity and presence in the thoughts. Our heart beats with more strength and the heart energy also expands, we can listen with more clarity.

Cacao is a natural way to bring about stress relief because its potassium, phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc and magnesium contents contribute to cardiovascular health. It also has the ability to trigger the release of dopamine and endorphins, both of which can help to lessen the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and depression.

What’s new?

We are happy to share with you that from May, we will add some new products to our catalog: